Shrine of Flaming Capitalism

Dear Readers: Silvio Canto, Jr. and I wanted to invite everyone to join us for the 3rd annual Valentine’s Day Show on Canto Talk (click HERE 7 pm PST/9 pm CT/10 pm EST for the live show or later for the archived podcast).

The featured topic will be famous Television and Movie couples. After all the chaos and tragedy, I thought we needed a break from heavy history. We are also inviting listeners to call in with their favorites: 646-478-4933.

The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. The Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, Pubert Addams, and Thing.

The Addams are a satirical inversion of the ideal American family; an eccentric, wealthy clan who delight in the macabre and are unaware, or do not care, that other people find them bizarre or frightening. They originally appeared as an unrelated group of 150 single panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in The New Yorker between their debut in 1938 and Addams’s 1988 death. They have since been adapted to other media, including television series (both live and animated), films, video games and a musical.

The TV show ran 2 years. The tangos and mushy French-accented passion were hilarious to me as a pre-teen, when I watched the episodes in syndication.

The very wealthy, endlessly enthusiastic Gomez Addams (John Astin) is madly in love with his refined wife, Morticia (née Frump) (Carolyn Jones). Along with their daughter Wednesday (Lisa Loring), their son Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax), Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan), and Grandmama (Blossom Rock), they reside at 0001 Cemetery Lane in an ornate, gloomy, Second Empire-style mansion, attended by their servants: Lurch (Ted Cassidy), the towering butler, and Thing (billed as “itself”, but portrayed by Cassidy and occasionally by Jack Voglin), a disembodied hand that usually appears out of a small wooden box. Occasionally episodes would feature other relatives such as Cousin Itt (Felix Silla), Morticia’s older sister Ophelia (also portrayed by Carolyn Jones), or Grandma Frump, Morticia’s mother (Margaret Hamilton).

Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan) and Lurch (Ted Cassidy)

Much of the humor derives from their culture clash with the rest of the world. They invariably treat normal visitors with great warmth and courtesy, even though their guests often have evil intentions. They are puzzled by the horrified reactions to their own good-natured and normal behavior, since the family is under the impression that their tastes are shared by most of society. Accordingly, they view “conventional” tastes with generally tolerant suspicion. For example, Fester once cites a neighboring family’s meticulously maintained petunia patches as evidence that they are “nothing but riffraff”. A recurring theme in the epilogue of many episodes was the Addamses getting an update on the most-recent visitor to their home, either via mail, something in the newspaper, or a phone call. Invariably, as a result of their visit to the Addamses, the visitor would be institutionalized, change professions, move out of the country, or suffer some other negative life-changing event. The Addamses would always misinterpret the update and see it as good news for their most-recent visitor.

We will also be featuring a Celtic love ballad, explained by the supremely talented and luminous harpist, Joanna Mell.

One of the guests on the show will be an exquisitely beautiful artist I have connected with via Facebook, who plays like an angel. Joanna Mell is a Celtic Harpist, who renditions of traditional tunes have had a healing effect on my soul as I cover the chaos that has become the current news cycle.

As I am a big fan of “The Dresden Files” book series about wizards, fairies, vampires, and other fantasy creatures, I wanted to feature this Carolan tune “Si Beg, Si Mor” (The Fairies of the Small Hill and the Big Hill).

In fact, what caught my attention on her business website was the “Therapeutic Harp” entry.

The harp has been used for centuries to produce soothing music which brings peace, rest and healing to the mind, body and spirit. The first mention of the therapeutic use of the harp occurs in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 16:14-23, when a “skilled harper”, namely David, was brought to King Saul, who was in a restless and fearful state. After David played his harp for the king, Saul fell into a restful, healing sleep. There are many accounts of ancient Irish harpers being able to induce sleep, relaxation and healing of fevers and epileptic fits by playing certain types of music on the harp. Today, a small group of harpists are being trained to use the harp as a healing instrument in clinical settings such as hospice, hospitals, and nursing homes to induce relaxation and stress relief, normalization of heart and breathing rates, enhancement of oxygen absorption rates, normalization of blood pressure, and pain and anxiety abatement. In the case of the hospice client, therapeutic harp music has the ability to ease the transition through the dying process. Therapeutic harp music also has beneficial clinical applications in the chemotherapy process, easing nausea, anxiety and other undesirable side effects.

And, after following the disasters — both foreign and domestic — associated with our current crop of politicos and their policies, a dose of great music seems to be in order.

I have always felt that the best step many of my fellow citizen activists could take would be to get elected to local offices. So when I heard one of my favorite, savvy, and sassy conservative activist friends was running for her city’s town clerk, I just had to find out more.

Therefor, it will be my privilege to join Silvio Canto Jr. to interview New York’s Karen Beseth, who is running for Dewitt Town Clerk.

I will be asking her for campaign tips and tricks she has learned, to pass down to others who might be inspired to join her on their own political careers. And, of course, we will be comparing “Blue State Blues.”

Her Facebook page is HERE, for those who want to send a direct message of support. If you do nothing else, please LIKE her page. This is the type of tactic she has had ton handle:

It has come to my attention today that a member of the DeWitt Town Board used the town’s email to send town employees an invitation to Angela Epolito’s fundraiser. Ms. Epolito sent out an apology on behalf of the Supervisor, but not until after town government e-mail accounts were used for political purposes. I was also concerned that the Supervisor used the Town’s taxpayer funded fall newsletter to publicize his position on the referendum to turn the Town Clerk into an appointed position.

I am not just a candidate for Town Clerk, I am also a resident and taxpayer in DeWitt. Town resources should not be used for political gain. It is unethical. The people of DeWitt deserve better from our elected officials.

Dear Readers: I am happy to report I will be able to delve into two areas of personal study on the next edition of Canto Talk Thursday: infectious diseases and history. As military history expert Barry Jacobsen concludes his review of World War I history with a look at its aftermath, I will chime in on the event that took even more lives in 1918: The Spanish Flu Pandemic.

Influenza Strikes

Throughout history, influenza viruses have mutated and caused pandemics or global epidemics. In 1890, an especially virulent influenza pandemic struck, killing many Americans. Those who survived that pandemic and lived to experience the 1918 pandemic tended to be less susceptible to the disease.

From Kansas to Europe and Back Again:

Where did the 1918 influenza come from? And why was it so lethal?

In 1918, the Public Health Service had just begun to require state and local health departments to provide them with reports about diseases in their communities. The problem? Influenza wasn’t a reportable disease.

But in early March of 1918, officials in Haskell County in Kansas sent a worrisome report to the Public Health Service. Although these officials knew that influenza was not a reportable disease, they wanted the federal government to know that “18 cases of influenza of a severe type” had been reported there.

By May, reports of severe influenza trickled in from Europe. Young soldiers, men in the prime of life, were becoming ill in large numbers. Most of these men recovered quickly but some developed a secondary pneumonia of “a most virulent and deadly type.”

Within two months, influenza had spread from the military to the civilian population in Europe. From there, the disease spread outward—to Asia, Africa, South America and, back again, to North America.

Wave After Wave:

In late August, the influenza virus probably mutated again and epidemics now erupted in three port cities: Freetown, Sierra Leone; Brest, France, and Boston, Massachusetts.

In Boston, dockworkers at Commonwealth Pier reported sick in massive numbers during the last week in August. Suffering from fevers as high as 105 degrees, these workers had severe muscle and joint pains. For most of these men, recovery quickly followed. But 5 to 10% of these patients developed severe and massive pneumonia. Death often followed.

Public health experts had little time to register their shock at the severity of this outbreak. Within days, the disease had spread outward to the city of Boston itself. By mid-September, the epidemic had spread even further with states as far away as California, North Dakota, Florida and Texas reporting severe epidemics.

The Unfolding of the Pandemic:

The pandemic of 1918-1919 occurred in three waves. The first wave had occurred when mild influenza erupted in the late spring and summer of 1918. The second wave occurred with an outbreak of severe influenza in the fall of 1918 and the final wave occurred in the spring of 1919.

In its wake, the pandemic would leave about twenty million dead across the world. In America alone, about 675,000 people in a population of 105 million would die from the disease.

Although taken unaware by the pandemic, federal, state and local authorities quickly mobilized to fight the disease.

On September 27th, influenza became a reportable disease. However, influenza had become so widespread by that time that most states were unable to keep accurate records. Many simply failed to report to the Public Health Service during the pandemic, leaving epidemiologists to guess at the impact the disease may have had in different areas.

World War I had left many communities with a shortage of trained medical personnel. As influenza spread, local officials urgently requested the Public Health Service to send nurses and doctors. With less than 700 officers on duty, the Public Health Service was unable to meet most of these requests.

On the rare occasions when the PHS was able to send physicians and nurses,
they often became ill en route. Those who did reach their destination safely often found themselves both unprepared and unable to provide real assistance.

In October, Congress appropriated a million dollars for the Public Health Service. The money enabled the PHS to recruit and pay for additional doctors and nurses. The existing shortage of doctors and nurses, caused by the war, made it difficult for the PHS to locate and hire qualified practitioners. The virulence of the disease also meant that many nurses and doctors contracted influenza within days of being hired.

Confronted with a shortage of hospital beds, many local officials ordered that community centers and local schools be transformed into emergency hospitals. In some areas, the lack of doctors meant that nursing and medical students were drafted to staff these makeshift hospitals.

The Pandemic Hits:

Entire families became ill. In Philadelphia, a city especially hard hit, so many children were orphaned that the Bureau of Child Hygiene found itself overwhelmed and unable to care for them.

As the disease spread, schools and businesses emptied. Telegraph and telephone services collapsed as operators took to their beds. Garbage went uncollected as garbage men reported sick. The mail piled up as postal carriers failed to come to work.

State and local departments of health also suffered from high absentee rates. No one was left to record the pandemic’s spread and the Public Health Service’s requests for information went unanswered.

As the bodies accumulated, funeral parlors ran out of caskets and bodies went uncollected in morgues.

Protecting Yourself From Influenza:

In the absence of a sure cure, fighting influenza seemed an impossible task.

In many communities, quarantines were imposed to prevent the spread of the disease. Schools, theaters, saloons, pool halls and even churches were all closed. As the bodies mounted, even funerals were held out doors to protect mourners against the spread of the disease.

Public officials, who were unaware that influenza was a virus and that masks provided no real protection against viruses, often demanded that people wear gauze masks. Some cities even passed laws requiring people to wear masks. Enforcing these laws proved to be very difficult as many people resisted wearing masks.

Advertisements recommending drugs which could cure influenza filled newspapers. Some doctors suggested that drinking alcohol might prevent infection, causing a run on alcohol supplies. Some folk healers insisted that wearing a specific type of amulet or a small bag of camphor could protect against influenza.

States passed laws forbidding spitting, fearing that this common practice spread influenza.

None of these suggestions proved effective in limiting the spread of the pandemic.

Communications During the Pandemic:

Public health officials sought to stem the rising panic by censoring newspapers and issuing simple directives. Posters and cartoons were also printed, warning people of the dangers of influenza.

Although the Public Health Service was aware that much of the nation’s large immigrant population did not speak or read English, posters used English almost exclusively. But even native English speakers found the posters and directives confusing. And limited understanding of influenza, combined with the rapidity of its spread, meant that these directives were often ignored or poorly understood.

Fading of the Pandemic:

In November, two months after the pandemic had erupted, the Public Health Service began reporting that influenza cases were declining.

Communities slowly lifted their quarantines. Masks were discarded. Schools were re-opened and citizens flocked to celebrate the end of World War I.

Communities and the disease continued to be a threat throughout the spring of 1919.

By the time the pandemic had ended, in the summer of 1919, nearly 675,000 Americans were dead from influenza. Hundred of thousands more were orphaned and widowed.

Did the so-called “Spanish flu,” an epidemic that killed more than 50 million people worldwide between 1918 and 1919, really start in Spain? For almost a century Spaniards have either borne this mark of shame with resignation, wearily telling the world that it had to start somewhere, or have put the blame on neighboring France.

A new study by Spanish and US scientists points out that the pandemic was dubbed “Spanish Influenza” by the world because the press in Spain widely reported the outbreak in its early stages between May and June of 1918. Spain was not involved in World War I, and its media had no restrictions, while the main European nations and the United States, embroiled in the conflict, censored all news relating to the pandemic for fear of a decline in troop morale.

It is my privilege to have him on as a guest with the always amazing Silvio Canto, Jr. on CANTO TALK. I am hitting the podcast waves this Wednesday, Sept. 17th at 7 pm PST/9 pm CT/10 pm EST with Silvio for a “Crazy California” round-up, and Bosch joins us at 7:30 pm for a review of how he became inspired to create “Pigman”. (click HERE FOR A LINK TO THE LIVE SHOW OR ARCHIVED PODCAST).

He gives us a look at the challenges awaiting him as he tries to market his work:

On March 1st of this past year, “The Daily Show” aired a prerecorded segment that I taped with them a few weeks earlier. During the segment I was interviewed by Aasif Mandvi, the show’s “liberal Muslim” correspondent. The main topic discussed was the “Muslim” Batman, but we also spent a significant amount of time discussing my own creation, a counter-jihad superhero named Pigman. Based on what was filmed during the 3-hour shoot, the segment had the potential to be humorous, controversial and informative. How it actually turned out was the product of some pretty crafty editing. And, unfortunately, I had no control over that. It was still humorous, but it was gutted of almost all significant substance, and some of the good humorous bits were left out as well.

First, I need to explain why I agreed to do it at all. I’ve been working on my graphic novel, The Infidel featuring Pigman, for years. After trying with dozens of agents, editors, and publishers to get someone to take on the project, and finding that not even those who were sympathetic were willing to do so (some cited Muslim reprisal as a reason,) I needed to get publicity however I could. In this context, one day I received an e-mail from one of “The Daily Show” producers, asking me to appear and discuss my views on Nightrunner, the “Muslim” Batman, which I had discussed in this post here at NewsRealBlog.com. After having long conversations with two different producers, and realizing their interest in having me on was real, and included an interest in discussing Pigman, I decided, for better or worse, to go ahead with it.

When I arrived at the shoot, I learned that my interviewer would be Aasif Mandvi, the show’s “liberal” Muslim correspondent. When I commented on this to the producer (he had actually mentioned a different correspondent in one of the e-mails leading up to the shoot), he played dumb (of course.) I smelled a rat, but proceeded anyway. During my interactions with them on the set, the producer, Aasif, and the crew were professional and friendly, which was to be expected. (The producer was also friendly to me in correspondence via e-mail both before and after the shoot. This was also to be expected.)

Then came time for the sit-down interview. It was wide-ranging, going from serious to funny to silly to blasphemous. Here are some of the things I recall that were left out of the edited segment:

The most egregious omission/dropping-of-context was with respect to my answer to the question that was supposed to be the focus of the piece: “What is wrong with a Muslim Batman?” The aired segment makes it appear as if my answer was “Nightrunner could be a Jihadist.” During the actual shooting, I was prompted to state that as a complete sentence, after responding “yes” to Aasif’s question, “Could Nighrunner be a Jihadist?” That statement was NOT given as an answer to the question, “What is wrong with a Muslim Batman?” My answer to that question is and was a lot more involved. The short answer, which I stated immediately after being asked the question, and which was edited out, was, “What’s wrong with Batman, during WWII, recruiting a German Batman with no mention of Nazis?” During a significant portion of the interview, Aasif was emphasizing that comics aren’t real and was asking, in essence: Why can’t comics just take a piece of reality, out of context, if they want? My point was, you can’t peer into reality just a little bit, and pick-and-choose in this way. The only reason Nightrunner exists (and probably the reason Aasif is on “The Daily Show” although he seems to be a nice guy who does a good job) is because Muslim terrorists attacked us on September 11, 2001, and they did it in the name of Islam. (I made a similar point during the interview.) In my view, it is irresponsible for any cultural medium to include Muslims while dropping the larger context that is the reason for including them at all. (At least “The Daily Show” sometimes includes some of this larger context, and often does a good job of it.)

I was privileged to win the lottery for a select group of TAM Army members to be able to join one of the best and most passionate conservative pundits, along with some of her support staff, for a perfect southern California afternoon of camaraderie for many independent-minded citizen activists and talk show fans.

The event wouldn’t have been complete without a “shameless fan moment” at the post-event happy hour.

My groupie behavior also including getting pics with Shifra, Ashley and Maynard — mainstays of the show and the website.

Ashley made everyone feel so welcome, and her energy and enthusiasm enhanced the day:

I must admit, loved, loved loved talking to Maynard — his wit is as dry as the Sahara.

But were any of these people the star of the show? No! That honor went to Sydney Bruce, who is pictured with one of the best known of the TAMily members, Rob W!

I sat myself down with four really great guys: Mike, Steve, Carlos and Buster. Buster came all the way from Texas to attend TAMCON! We had a great time chatting about the news and who we were apt to vote for as POTUS in 2016 (hint – Bush and Clinton were not among our picks).

Michael is the name of God’s warrior arch-angel. I think He was sending a message about the meet-up, as several of the other great men I met were also named Michael, including one who signed in with another TAMily member whose American-Israel flag pin caught my eye. It turns out Thomas is a fellow Catholic, and were able to chat a few moments about being Catholic and conservative.

I also met many dynamic women. I would like to give a special shout-out to Lauren from Texas, who shared a margarita with me at the happy hour. I am kicking myself for not grabbing a pic with her! A beautiful woman and a beautiful spirit! I also had a chance to meet Nonie, another San Diego area TAMily member. We vowed to stay in touch and have our own mini-meet-up sometime soon.

One of my favorite moments from the very many great ones I had was meeting naga5, Rick, who resides just to the north of Los Angeles. We had a chance to compare-and-contrast local craft beet enterprises! That he is such a savvy and energetic conservative who works in a very challenging environment for such political views is inspirational. I am planning to keep in touch with him in hopes of better monitoring the craziness coming from the LA area.

The picture I took with IsaacT also failed to come out (but below is one of him getting a picture with Tammy). However, I was thrilled to meet a Virginian and get the latest news from that state. I am planning to be there in August, and the next TAMCON is slated to be held there soon.

Update: IsaacT comes through with a pic from his camera!

One last note: My formal post will contain information on two of Tammy’s friends who also contribute to the success of her show: Amy Peikoff and Bosch Fawtsin. Bosch is an exceptionally talent graphic artist who does superhero-inspired comics-style work.

He does work on commission: I think I am going to have him work up a Cleopatra-theme “Goddess of Flaming Capitalism” graphic to spruce up the place!